Hey Guys,
I'm looking for a christmas/ b-day present tht will be my 3rd plane.. I would Like to get into the 3D aerobatic arena And can do most maneuvers... I always heard the USL was a pretty easy flyer as well as the 40 - 60 sizes. Planning on Using a Super Tigre G-2300, With Futaba 6EXA radio and S-3004 servo's until I can afford High Torq servo's for the Rudder And Elevator. Would this be a good combo for me? Thanks, Cody

Ice Man ... engine sounds fine for the plane, the 6EXA is not good if you want to programme in Crow but for general flying its fine as you can still dial in flaps. The servos are an issue if you wanna 3D, 3004 will not be a good choice. You will want high torque as the surfaces are huge on that plane. Plastic gears will run the risk of stripping and standard servos may not have enough grunt. You are best off looking for high torque if you wanna 3D with something this big.

I know the S-3004's wont be good for 3D but should be enough to fly the plane. When I can afford high torq servo's I will get them.. What do you recomend?

Ice Man,

I fly a USL with a G-26, and I also have signficant experience flying a friend's with a Saito 150. In both cases we are using high torque servo's for rudder and elevator. I have standard servos on flaps and ailerons, but I'm using the quad-flap setup so the indivdual surfaces are small. If I were using the conventional ailerons, I'd have put in high torque there also. If you are going to stick with the 3004's, I'd suggest that you go with the 40-size or at most the 60-size Ultra Stick. The 40 screams with a OS50SX, and the 60-size works well with a Saito 100.

This plane is a great all around fun fly type of aerobatic plane, but I don't feel that it's a great 3D plane. It hovers nice, but lacks elevator authority needed for a lot of other maneuvers. The rudder has plenty of authority, but there is a lot of roll-coupling. This is another area that the 6EXA is not good - no dual rates or exponential on rudder. This is one of the reasons why I upgraded to a 9C.

Greg

I lfew mine with a G26 too. Great flying, fun to fly plane, but not great for 3D. I tried using a standard servo on the Elevator and almost crashed because I had a hard time pulling out of a dive. A high torque serrvo ended that probblem.

I understand the need for the High torq servo's.. Now I've figured out another Item I will not have to buy with my B-day money whch will leave between 120-200$ for rc stuff so which Non-Digital servo's would you recomed?

Look at the Futaba 3010 or 3305 or Hitec 635 or 645



Chris

Don't you guys think this is an obsolete design that has been surpased by planes like the Funtana and U-Can-Do for example? They lightened it up but it still has the funky wing and the crow feature is about as useless a thing as you could waste four servos on. Move on I say. It's a perfect match for a G26 which is also obsolete.

Basin Bum,
It depends on what you call obsolete. For example.. Many may call my Superstar trainer "obsolete", After all the new nextars and such are "Oh So Much Better." But it seems to have taught me to fly just fine.. What trainer did you learn on? Lt-40 or the like? Those are older than the super star yet not obsolete. In full scale you have the Piper Cub.. 1947 i Believe is the last yr. Sure there are thousand of newer "better" planes out yet people still fly them.. Why? Maybe they enjoy them for what they are made to do, Cruise around the sy at 60-70 mph. Yes the Ultra Stick Might be an older design however it is no where near obsolete. Maybe people <myself included> like to fly sport, aerobatics, and a little 3D and the US does it fine. Maybe I don't want an all out 3D machine incapable of even a simple Screamin Low pass without shattering due to flutter. I don't aim to start a war here on the forum and have no intension of affening anyone, but if you don't have any advice for me or comments that are relative don't post.[>:]

I agree with BasinBum: design obslete, crow is useless. I have done many flights on my friend's USL/Saito 1.80. It actually flew slow better without flaps or crow, and is not even decent at 3D-ing. If you are looking for first 3D plane, I would recommend the Funatana 40/Saito-91 over anything. The only shortcoming I found: wing rocking on harrier (like the Funtana 90, and USL), but it's agreat inexpensive way to learn some 3D.

As far as 3D is concerned, its not much. But it does hover and TR great with the G26. Also, I learned to do consistent rolling harriers with this plane. the reason that was possible is while rolling in a harrier the wing rocking stuff is a non issue because you're rolling. You can learn a great deal from this plane and have lots of fun as well. In fact, most folks that don't know what can be done beyond a torque roll will think you're a 3D ace. Its worth a look, especially as a gas plane because the engine is out in the open where you keep an eye on it. So its really easy to keep everything tight annd working well. I really enjoyed mine. Ive since sccratch built something else that 3Ds way better for the same engine, so I'll not get another USL. For learning 3D I'd recommend something like a goldberg Extreme 330 or extreme flight edge.

Oh, I'm sorry you just want people to blow smoke up your ass and tell you it's a great plane.

You said you wanted "to get into the 3D arena" and others come along and tell you what you want to hear so they are pertinent to the conversation? Just cause I have a differant opinion, that apparently others agree with, don't tell me not to post.

Trainers have nothing to do with this conversation, they all will do the trick and some older designs may actually be lighter and better. For example the Kadet Senorita that I learned on was very light yet extremely durable compared to some of the ARFs of today. A Cub isn't a good comparison either because it represents a scale version of a plane that many people love to fly.

So if you want everyone to agree with you just say so and I won't bother to give what I consider useful information. If you are going to ask for opinions than don't get your panties in a wad when someone gives one.

Basin Bum Yes I want to get into the 3D arena.. I didn't say this had to be a full on 3D plane. Can it do percision aerobatics? Point rolls snap rolls fly SOME pattern? And would this be a good plane for me? Thats basicall what my first post said, did I ask if it was obsolete? No. Thats all I'm saying.. Also this needs to be a third plane that will last quite awhile.. IMO the funtanas and uCD's are built to light to stand up to my abuse<which is alot>. And I just want a simple sport plane to play around with and be an intro into the above topics.. Maybe I went overboard in my last post but lets just get back to the topic.

Chris- Can you give me some info on those servo's? Price, gears , torq ect?

OK, back on topic. I was looking at one Saturday and discussing it with a friend and that's when we came to the same conclusion.

Can one of you who has owned the USL tell us how well it does a knife edge? It seems the rudder is fairly small and the fuse is skinny and we speculated that it wouldn't do a good knife edge. Were we right or wrong on this point?

I fly with several guys, Including 9 time fun fly champ Jerry L. Smith, who fly Ultra sticks or similar modified designs and from what I've seen they do a pretty good knife edge.. Although I've never seen them try to hold a KE for long, normally they transition into another man. after a few seconds.

Well Ice, if you really want to become a better pilot with your third plane look for something that will do a good knife edge, maybe the USL is it, I don't know. I do know that knife edge is one of the most important building blocks to being a really good aerobatic pilot and doing it for a few seconds doesn't cut it. Learn to knife edge the length of the field both directions and looking at both sides of the plane and you are well on your way to being a very good aerobatic flier.

I'm still working on it.

I have done 4 point rolls, and even 8 point rolls on my friend's plane, but not way to hold a decent knife edge: too much coupling, and IMO not enough size on fuse.
I did have fun with the plane, like I had fun with my son's 40 size Ultra Stick. But these are "throw around" planes; by no means are they good 3D or good precision aerobatic trainers.

Maybe the rudder on the ones that I fly with are modified? I've been working on KE with my Tiger 60 which has a stick like fuse and it will not do it for too long, 2-3 sec tops and it falls off.. Maybe I'll get around to it someday and build an Edge (or the like) Rudder for the tiger and the Stick? would that improve the characteristic any? Or do I NEED more fuse side?

Just Now Somthing possessed me to check out some engines in the market place and three things caught my eye..
1.) A CHEAP Zenoah G-23
2.) A glow version Webra Bully 2.1
3.)A ST G2500

What Kind of mods would I have to make to put in either the Webra Bully Or the G-23? The G-23 is around 20 oz. heavier than the G2300.. Can't remember the exact weight on the webra though.. As of now I'm Still going for the ST but I like to explore my options. I've read posts about people shortening the nose of the US for the gassers and others putting servo's in the tail.. Is there any other way around this W/ out extensive mods? Maybe a BIG battery and the reciever in the tail? I hate to add dead weight but now that I think about it A gasser would be pretty cool. Thanks Guys,

I believe that you need more lifting area on the fuse. Almost any plane will knife edge if going fast enough, but high speed is not really part of 3D flying.
Many years ago, a friend let me fly his new Sportster .40, and I did my first sustained knife edge. My friend was not a good builder, and the nose was kind of square with rounded corners, the covering was all white (dull!). I offered to refinish it: I resanded the nose round, made the plane really slick all around, and recovered it with a great yellow/red/metallic blue color scheme. Well, it never really knife edged again [&o] inspite of a hot Rossi .40 with tuned pipe pulling it (but it was much prettier and faster .
I picked up a few clues from that story.

Well let me say up front that I enjoy flying my obsolete US Lite with a G-26. Of course, I didn't get it for 3D anyway. I wanted a plane to be able to move from up from my 91 and 61 sized glow engines. This plane provided me with a platform to move to in a larger 120 size and to get used to flying a larger plane. I am using Hitec Servos (HS-635HB with 69 oz of torque at 4.8 volts). I have been flying it for about a month now and really enjoy it. I didn't use the split aelerons though. I have them on my US60 and haven't used them enough to warrant putting them on the larger plane. I did do some modifications to the firewall for the G-26 and moved the servos to the tail. Here are some pics:

ICE,

Go to www.servocity.com and look them up. They are all 70+ in/oz and less than $40 each.


Chris

It knife edges just fine. Mix out the coupling and make sure you have good speed and it'll hold it all day long. I could do slow rolls with mine from horizon to horizon.

Hookedonrc,
Were the mods easy to fit the G-26? A G-23 for $165 is verrrry hard to pass up! Also what's the Firewall mod? Additional ply up front?

The mods were pretty easy to accomplish. The firewall is just two pieces of 3/16" light ply epoxied together then mounted on the front. On the servos, I cut away the covering and built up new servo trays in the space by tracing their shape, cutting them out of light ply, adding a backing that I could epoxy on the back side of the fuselage side/top, and added triangle stock to each side so they would epoxy to the side of the fuse for stiffness. I didn't take any pictures other than what you see. If you look closely at the side one you can just make out the wood on the other side of the covering. I was able to mount the side servo by putting it in from the top so I was able to save the covering. I added the blue ultracote to the top of the fuse after putting in the rudder servo tray for the pull pull config. I then cut out the bottom of the fuse when I balanced it. I added about 3 1/2 oz of lead epoxied into the aft of the opening just in front of the back bulkhead. I have an PM somewhere with the instructions on how to build the extra firewall onto the front. If I can find it I will PM it to you.

I just remebered that I e-mailed the instructions from my home PC, so I will send them to you when I get there later today. I have also added a closer pic of the firewall mod I made. I used clear dope to keep the finish the same as on the rest of the plane. Took several coats before I was satisfied it was fuel proof.

BTW: If you can resist buying the G-23 please do. It just doesn't put out the horses that the G-26 does. I was lucky, I fellow club member crashed his US Lite on its first flight. Actually, it just flew away. Still don't know what happened. Anyway, I was able to buy the G-26 for $100 with only 1/2 a flight on it. It did sit in a field for a month or so till the plane was found and returned, but after cleaning, the engine is just like new.